A “small number” of tennis players are stuck in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) following a men’s tournament last week, owing to the war in the Middle East, the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) said on Monday.
Russian Daniil Medvedev, who won the singles title last Saturday, is among those who have been unable to leave the city because of Iranian missile and drone strikes.
“The health, safety and well-being of our players, staff and tournament personnel is our priority,” the ATP said in a statement on social media.
Photo: AP
“We can confirm that a small number of players and team members remain in Dubai... They are being accommodated in the official tournament hotels. We are in direct communication with those affected,” it said.
Finnish player Harri Heliovaara, who won the doubles alongside British player Henry Patten, wrote on his blog on Sunday “much of the airspace in the surrounding areas is closed” in response to the Iranian strikes.
Heliovaara estimated that about 30 people in total were being housed in a hotel close to the airport. “We’re just calmly waiting for things to improve,” he added. “Of course we want to leave as soon as possible, but sometimes the best thing is just to wait.”
The players were offered a glimmer of hope when Dubai Airports announced “limited” flights would resume on Monday evening.
Emirates and low-cost carrier Flydubai said they would resume some flights Monday evening. Etihad Airways, which operates flights from Abu Dhabi, said it would resume operations on Tuesday.
“Up till now the ATP’s instructions were very clear: Stay in the hotel and wait,” said Heliovaara on his blog.
Heliovaara, who has won Wimbledon and the Australian Open doubles titles, said going by road, to either Oman or Saudi Arabia, was impractical.
Attacked on Saturday by the US and Israel, Iran has responded by launching drones and missiles at several countries in the region, including the UAE.
Despite the numerous explosions heard in Dubai, the doubles final was played on Saturday and the trophy ceremony went ahead for the singles event. The Dubai ATP 500 was the last in a series of tournaments on the men’s and women’s tours before they head to California on Wednesday for the Masters and WTA 1000 in Indian Wells.
Challenger tournaments, on the second tier of the professional circuit, are still scheduled to be held in Fujairah, on the east coast of the UAE
The ATP responded to AFP’s enquiry about the two successive Challenger tournaments by directing it to their tweet which gave no indication of their status.
The International Tennis Federation said the two World Tennis Tour tournaments, third-tier events set for March 16-28 at Fujairah, had been “postponed”.
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